KIDNEY SCAM
Court allows CBI to freeze Amit’s bank accounts
Ambala, April 12
The CBI court allowed all three applications of the CBI, which were file in the court earlier, here today.
The special CBI Magistrate, Dr Abdul Majid, ordered to freeze the bank accounts of Dr
Amit, the alleged kidney racket kingpin, existing in Canada.

CM’s directions on plots
Chandigarh, April 12
Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has directed the town and country planning department that colonisers should provide 50 per cent plots to the housing board for the construction of houses out of 20 per cent plots earmarked to them for the economically weaker sections
(EWS).

Poll Panel
BJP MLA sees red over non-inclusion
Chandigarh, April 12
Ramkumar Gautam, BJP MLA, is fuming over his non-inclusion in a state BJP committee on elections.
The committee’s first agenda is to propose candidates for the impending byelections in three assembly constituencies of the state. In fact, an important meeting of the party is being held on April 15 on the issue. The party has sent observers in the constituencies who are to give reports about prospective candidates.

Villagers disrupt traffic at toll plaza
Gurgaon, April 12
People from Dundaheda village today disrupted traffic at toll plaza on the NH-8 at the
Delhi-Gurgaon border demanding exemption of toll charges for the residents of the village crossing the toll barrier from both sides.

Ex-MC chief, husband booked for cheating
Kaithal, April 12
Former chairman of the local municipal council Sunita Bansal and her husband, Krishan Bansal, have been booked under various sections of the IPC on charges of cheating, forgery, embezzlement and misappropriation of public money to the tune of crores of rupees by allegedly committing grave irregularities in allotment of construction works by misusing emergency powers of the Haryana Municipal Act 1973.

Salesgirl stabs man
Gurgaon, April 12
In an unusual incident, a salesgirl allegedly stabbed an elderly customer following an argument at a
CD/DVD shop in DLF city last night. Sonisa assaulted the customer with a knife when the latter came to the shop along with other family members and scolded her for not delivering a Hindi movie
CD/DVD to him as she had promised to do on the phone.

Salesgirl Sonisa, who allegedly stabbed a customer, in police custody in Gurgaon on Saturday.
A Tribune photograph

Abducted Rewari girl, siblings found in Delhi
Rewari, April 12
The police claimed to have solved within 24 hours a case of alleged abduction of a teenaged girl, Pushpa Yadav (14), her younger sister Mansi (6) and younger brother Gopal (4) by a youth, Sonu Sharma, all residents of Arjun Nagar colony here.

Theft accused misbehaves with judge
Fatehabad, April 12
An undertrial, accused in a case of theft, misbehaved with a judicial magistrate in a Tohana court in this district today. He was, however, overpowered before he could proceed further with his intentions.

Man commits suicide
Sonepat, April 12
Joginder, a resident of Gohana, allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself with a fan in his house late last night. Soon after his death, his wife Urmila allegedly consumed some poisonous substance, which she also gave to her two minor children.

Postings & transfers
Chandigarh, April 12
The Haryana government today issued transfer and posting orders of one IAS and two HCS officers. Mandip Singh Brar, sub-divisional officer (C), Hisar, and secretary, commission for determination of compensation to the victims of Dabwali tragedy, will also look after the work of the estate officer, Hisar.

Rs 19.64 cr for drought-hit farmers
Chandigarh, April 12
Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh today announced to provide compensation of Rs 19.64 crore at the rate of Rs 2,000 per acre to the farmers of Siwani tehsil of Bhiwani district for the loss of their kharif crops in 2007 due to drought-like situation.

DR instalment releasedChandigarh, April 12
Haryana finance minister Birender Singh today announced the release of an instalment of dearness relief (DR) to it pensioners and family pensioners at the rate of 6 per cent from January 1, 2008.
— TNS

According to information, Amit has three bank accounts in the Royal Bank of Canada. Amit operates two of the accounts himself while his manager, Michel Becker, operates one of the accounts.

The CBI had filed an application in the court for freezing of Dr Amit’s bank accounts in Canada.

The CBI in the application said the money, which came from the transplantation of kidneys, might have been deposited in bank accounts in Canada.

Dr Amit’s counsel Amit Gupta said the CBI had been unnecessary harassing his client. He said his bank accounts in Canada had not been transacted since a long time.

Announcing the order on another application of the CBI, the court allowed the CBI to get Gayasudeen, who is one of the accused in the scam, medically examined. The CBI had said Gayasudden, after his arrest, had stated at a court in Delhi that Dr Amit removed one of his kidneys.

The CBI had made a request in the application to allow it to medically examine him so that truth could be revealed.

Interestingly, Gayasudeen had yesterday stated in the CBI court that both his kidneys were intact and there was no need of his medical examination.

The third application, which was allowed by the court, was related to tallying of handwriting of some of the accused. The CBI had requested the court to grant it permission to take the specimen of handwriting and fingerprints of the accused, Ramesh, Umesh, Suresh, Linda, Dr Amit and Gayasudeen, so that their handwriting could be tallied with the documents recovered from the hospital of Dr Amit during the raid.

The court ordered all six accused to be present in the court on April 16 so that the specimen of their handwriting and fingerprints could be taken.

Later, taking to mediapersons outside the court premises, Dr Amit said he was being falsely implicated in the case. When asked why had he changed his name from Santosh to Amit, he said every citizen had a legal right to change his name.

He said he had adopted all legal formalities while changing his name. The CBI should also interrogate the beneficiaries, as some of them were influential persons.

Replying to a question, he said last year he had deposited advance income tax of around Rs 1 crore with the department.

He laid foundation stones of a 132-kV substation and a 33-kV substation at Khairekan and Panihari villages, respectively. The substations would be constructed by the Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam and the Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam, respectively, at a cost of Rs 12.5 crore.

Hooda assured that the government would provide 22-hour power supply, after the addition of 5,000 MW of power in the next two-and-a-half years.

The first unit of 300-MW capacity at Deen Bandhu Chhottu Ram Thermal Power Project, Yamunanagar, was generating power regularly for the last 10 days and the second unit of 300-MW capacity was likely to start generating power to the state grid after 2-3 days.

Construction works on 1200-MW Rajiv Gandhi Thermal Power Project, Khedar (Hisar), and 1500-MW Jhajjar Thermal Power Project was going on war footing, he added.

He said apart from this, the government would augment the capacity of power transmission and distribution system by investing Rs 1,963 crore. Under this plan, 70 new substations would be constructed, while capacity of 68 existing substations would be enhanced during the same period.

Addressing the gathering after inaugurating senior block of the CMK National Post-graduate College for women, the Chief Minister said the government declared the current financial year as year for education and for its realisation Rs 3,139 crore had been earmarked.

Initially, computer would be made a compulsory subject in 25 colleges across the state. Later, he announced a grant of Rs 11 lakh for the construction of library in the college.

He also laid the foundation stone of a multipurpose hall and inaugurated the Indira Awasiya Parisar during his visit to Chaudhary Devi Lal University (CDLU).

He launched the digital news ticker system established by the department of journalism and mass communication.

Vice-chancellor of CDLU K.C. Bhardwaj said the hall would be constructed at a cost of Rs 12.85 crore. Apart from facilities for indoor games, a conference hall with a seating capacity of 500 and an open-air theatre would be the other features in the hall.

The news ticker system would be integrated with the department’s news portal www.jansanchaar.in and it would be possible to update it using a cell phone.

Besides, the CM laid the foundation stone of a residential complex having 50 houses.

The Chief Minister was accompanied by power minister Randeep Singh Surjewala and MP Atma Singh Gill during his visit to the city.

Chandigarh, April 12
Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has directed the town and country planning department that colonisers should provide 50 per cent plots to the housing board for the construction of houses out of 20 per cent plots earmarked to them for the economically weaker sections
(EWS).

The Chief Minister was reviewing at a meeting held here the scheme of the housing board under which 50,000 dwelling units would be constructed by the board for the EWS.

Hooda also directed the board authorities that a standard pattern could be devised for the construction of houses on the 100 sq yd plots which would be given by the government to those belonging to the Scheduled Castes and persons below the poverty line.

The Chief Minister said about 5,000 village panchayats had passed resolutions for providing land under the 100 sq yd plot scheme. He said low-cost houses should be constructed for the EWS and their instalment should be about Rs 1,500 per month.

Chandigarh, April 12
Ramkumar Gautam, BJP MLA, is fuming over his non-inclusion in a state BJP committee on elections.

The committee’s first agenda is to propose candidates for the impending byelections in three assembly constituencies of the state. In fact, an important meeting of the party is being held on April 15 on the issue. The party has sent observers in the constituencies who are to give reports about prospective candidates.

A.P. Manchanda, state BJP president, and Vijay Goel and H.S. Grewal, central committee’s representatives on Haryana affairs, will participate in the meeting, which will also be attended by other state leaders. Gautam, though, is not in the loop as far as this important meeting is concerned. Manchanda confirmed the meeting but refused to divulge where it would take place.

Gautam said his position as the leader of the party’s legislative wing was a constitutional one and he could not be ignored while deliberating on elections. “It could not be an authentic exercise. It sounds like a sham committee,” Gautam said, adding that the committee he had come to know of was having 10 members and his name did not figure among the members.

While Gautam was having no intimation about the April 15 meeting, Manchanda claimed that the BJP legislator had been included in the election committee. He said the committee was having 11 members and Gautam, being the leader of the party in the state assembly, had found a place among the members.

Gurgaon, April 12
People from Dundaheda village today disrupted traffic at toll plaza on the NH-8 at the
Delhi-Gurgaon border demanding exemption of toll charges for the residents of the village crossing the toll barrier from both sides.

The blockade, which started at 12 pm, lasted for more than an hour. It happened when a village commuter, Rakesh Yadav, refused to pay the toll charges on the grounds that he should be exempted as the toll plaza had been constructed on the panchayat land of their village. But those manning the barrier did not relent.

Subsequently, around a dozen commuters from the village soon blocked all lanes with their private vehicles, leading to a jam, which harassed a large number of commuters. The situation was defused after officials of DS Constructions, the contractor company manning the toll plaza, discussed the matter with the villagers.

Yadav claimed that the officials had exempted the toll charges till Thursday as well as assured to formalise the exemption after a meeting with top officials of the company on the same day.

Till then, Yadav added that the commuters from the village would be allowed to cross the barrier without paying toll fee on showing voter I-card, driving licence or registration documents of the vehicle.

As per the toll notification, commuters are not given any exemption except some special categories. The relaxation, if any, is given in terms of 50 per cent monthly concession to the regular commuters.

Though the company’s officials claimed that no exemption had been given to the commuters of any of the nearby villages, but Ved Prakash Yadav of Rampura village claimed that the same company manning another toll barrier at nearby Khedkidaula village had exempted the commuters of surrounding villages.

Kaithal, April 12
Former chairman of the local municipal council Sunita Bansal and her husband, Krishan Bansal, have been booked under various sections of the IPC on charges of cheating, forgery, embezzlement and misappropriation of public money to the tune of crores of rupees by allegedly committing grave irregularities in allotment of construction works by misusing emergency powers of the Haryana Municipal Act 1973.

Sunita was suspended by the director of local bodies, Haryana, on March 25 and three-fourth members of the council, including local MLA S.S. Surjewala, had passed a non-confidence motion against her a couple of days ago.

The case has been registered under Sections 403, 406, 409, 420, 467, 468, 471 and 34 read with Section 120-B of the IPC on the directions of the court of CJM Ajay Pareshar on a complaint filed by a local councillor (nominated), Rajesh Bittu.

The complainant had alleged that Sunita Bansal had committed grave irregularities by misusing her powers as the chairman in allotment of construction works to the tune of Rs 2.50 crore.

The court has directed the Kaithal SHO to register an FIR and investigate the case.

In his complaint filed in the court, Bittu said he had filed an application with the municipal authority under the RTI Act and sought details of the works allotted and sanctioned by the chairman exercising her emergency powers.

He said the then council chairman, Sunita Bansal, in connivance with her husband committed grave irregularities.

Bittu alleged that works of serial no. 9, 10, and 50 were sanctioned on February 12, 2006, were allotted on March 27, 2006, and May 5, 2006, after a lapse of considerable time showing that there was no emergency to invoke powers. Similarly, some other works had been sanctioned much earlier but allotted after a gap of 15 to 80 days, thus making it clear that there was no emergency for invoking emergency powers.

He also pointed that a number of works were allotted by calling quotations rather that inviting tenders. He said a huge quantity of material used in various works was purchased from outside Kaithal thus affecting the cost of the material. It had also been alleged that a number of bills were forged to manipulate the records thus causing loss of substantial public money.

Gurgaon, April 12
In an unusual incident, a salesgirl allegedly stabbed an elderly customer following an argument at a
CD/DVD shop in DLF city last night.

Sonisa assaulted the customer with a knife when the latter came to the shop along with other family members and scolded her for not delivering a Hindi movie CD/DVD to him as she had promised to do on the phone.

The girl has been arrested and remanded to judicial custody, assistant commissioner of police Sumit Kumar said. The victim, 65-year-old Vinod Sood, was rushed to a hospital, where his condition was stated to be critical but out of danger.

However, the shop owner,
Harvinder, refuted the claims made by the police and the victim’s family, asserting that a piece of Sonisa’s clothes was torn off in the scuffle between her and
Sood.

Harvinder claimed that the knife, which allegedly hit the customer, does not belong to his shop as Sood himself had brought it.
— PTI

Rewari, April 12
The police claimed to have solved within 24 hours a case of alleged abduction of a teenaged girl, Pushpa Yadav (14), her younger sister Mansi (6) and younger brother Gopal (4) by a youth, Sonu Sharma, all residents of Arjun Nagar colony here.

A police team of Rewari along with the girl’s parents, Raj Pal Yadav and Sharmila Yadav, today went to Dr Ram Manohar Lohiya Hospital, New Delhi, where Pushpa and her alleged abductor Sonu were admitted last night after they reportedly attempted to commit suicide by jumping before an engine at Nizamuddin railway station, New Delhi.

The police said while Sonu, whose right hand had been severed, sustained serious head injuries and was battling for life while the girl escaped with minor injuries.

The police also took possession of Mansi and Gopal.

The police said Sonu had reportedly eloped with Pushpa, a student of class VIII. Mansi and Gopal were also with them. The three children had left the house when their parents had gone to work.

However, late in the evening a call made on Sharmila’s mobile phone allegedly by Sonu spilled the beans. A complaint was filed following which the police registered a case of abduction under Sections 363, 364, 366 of the IPC in this regard.

Fatehabad, April 12
An undertrial, accused in a case of theft, misbehaved with a judicial magistrate in a Tohana court in this district today. He was, however, overpowered before he could proceed further with his intentions.

The accused, Sunil, alias Bacchi, was today produced before the court of subdivisional judicial magistrate Bhupinder Nath in a case of theft. He was brought by the police from Karnal where he was facing trial for some other cases.

According to eye witnesses, when his case came up for hearing, Sunil started insisting the judge to either convict or acquit him and said he was fed up with the hearings time and again. His case was at the stage of evidence, according to public prosecutor Om Parkash Bishnoi.

After the accused found that his pleas were going unheard, he started using abusive language against the court. He was in the process of hurling his shoe on the judge when he was overpowered by the public prosecutor and policemen present in the court.

The court, according to Bishnoi, has sent a report of the incident to the Punjab and Haryana High Court for initiating proceedings of the contempt of court against the accused.

Sonepat, April 12
Joginder, a resident of Gohana, allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself with a fan in his house late last night. Soon after his death, his wife Urmila allegedly consumed some poisonous substance, which she also gave to her two minor children.

Urmila has been admitted to the PGIMS, Rohtak, where her condition is stated to be serious. Whereas the children have been admitted to a private hospital in Gohana.

After the postmortem examination, the body of Joginder has been handed over to the family members. The police is investigating the case. According to the police, a family dispute is suspected to be the cause of this tragic incident.

Chandigarh, April 12
The Haryana government today issued transfer and posting orders of one IAS and two HCS officers. Mandip Singh Brar, sub-divisional officer (C), Hisar, and secretary, commission for determination of compensation to the victims of Dabwali tragedy, will also look after the work of the estate officer, Hisar.

Jai Krishan Abhir, estate officer, HUDA, Hisar, has been posted as sub-divisional officer (C), Fatehabad, relieving Yogesh Kumar Mehta of the said charge and Ashwani Maingi, City Magistrate, Rewari, has been posted as sub-divisional officer (C), Barara, against a newly created post.

The government yesterday had transferred two HCS officers. An official spokesman said Satbir Singh Jangu had been transferred as under secretary in the finance department against a vacant post and Sant Lal Pachar as sub-divisional officer (civil) at Tosham in place of Jangu.

Chandigarh, April 12
Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh today announced to provide compensation of Rs 19.64 crore at the rate of Rs 2,000 per acre to the farmers of Siwani tehsil of Bhiwani district for the loss of their kharif crops in 2007 due to drought-like situation.

This compensation amount would soon be disbursed to the affected farmers, he said in a release issued here.

It may be recalled that a special girdwari was ordered by the state government to assess the loss of crops due to drought in Siwani tehsil of Bhiwani district.
— PTI